|
Oxford Summer Holidays 1919 :
Shute sails in Mr Hepherd's yacht Aeolia. A Yawl of 28 Tons (Thames) kept in the Hamble River off Lukes Yard. Luke's Yard and the Hamble river feature throughout his novels and are undoubtedly one of his spiritual homes. |
Click for larger image |
Hamble Quay in 1905 ( THHS ) |
|
In 1919 Shute meets Aircraft designer Geoffrey de Havilland (1882-1965) who is pictured here
in 1910 aged 28. ( DHB / AB ) |
|
| September 1919 : Shute becomes engaged to an unidentified fellow student "of an intelligent family" who is at Lady Margaret Hall. The engagement lasts two and a half years but as they have no money they can't afford to marry. The engagement was a very happy time for Shute. |
Click for larger image |
Later Shute uses the roof of The Radcliffe Camera at Oxford as a romantic rendezvous in his first attempt at a novel, Stephen Morris. ( DH ) |
| Oxford Winter Holidays 1919 : Shute is introduced to Airco by aero engineer C.C. Walker. Shute works unpaid at Airco in the design office and doing wind tunnel research. |
|
1920
|
| Oxford Summer Holidays 1920 : Shute again sails with Mr Hepheard in the 11 ton Rothion and also works at Airco at Hendon. |
| Christmas 1920 : Shute Holidays with his parents on the Italian Riviera. |